Renewed Hope
by BlueMorpho2
Summary: Future Valerie is pissed at Clockwork, and who wouldn't be? It was all his fault anyway.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. I wish I did, so that way the show could finally answer the unanswered questions the series left after it ended.

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The wind blew a newspaper across the deserted street. Buildings were collapsed in on themselves, nothing was recognizable anymore. The once buzzing metropolis was now quite literally a ghost town. Slowly, people were starting to emerge from the rubble while others remained unmoving. Those who had survived had the look of utter defeat and sorrow.

Valerie grimaced as she came out of her hiding spot—the one she escaped into once she had regained consciousness after being rescued by the past Danny. She looked around her and noticed that the others hadn't turned to look at her yet; they were still in shock about the recent attack on their home. Their eyes held the same vacancy that she was sure she too had.

The Huntress had the vain hope that Danny would come and save the day. She wanted, so _desperately, _to believe. But after many years of nothing but sorrow and disappointment—she had become something of a pessimist toward life and humanity. In a weird way, she herself had become like Dan: wanting the past to just go away, though she would never admit she was anything like that monster.

Valerie wanted to get up. Wanted to spur the people on and show them that they could continue on. That there was something they could still do. She wanted someone, anyone, to lead them. After many years of doing just that, Valerie was tired, so very tired. But as she looked about herself one more time, she couldn't help but realize that she would have to get up herself. She would need to be the one to fill the people with hope again. For hope is all they really had left to cling to. Everyone else they had ever known or loved was _**dead. **_

That's right. Paulina, Dash, Star. They didn't make it. When Danny-no _Him_ first showed up, they had been the first ones to go. Thinking their beloved Danny Phantom had come back, they crowded around in front of him to cheer him on. They hadn't even gotten the chance to be astonished before they were vaporized by _HIM._

_'I had been lucky,' _Was all Valerie had to say about the matter. Because she naturally distrusted Phantom, she wasn't among the group that went to welcome him back to the city. Instead she had been lingering by the side of the school wondering just where Phantom had been after all this time. Just as she had finally started getting over her hatred of the Ghost-boy and getting over what he had done to her, he went and obliterated any hope of forgiveness with that act. Though the group had ostracized her, she would avenge them and everyone single person that came into his path that day. With that thought in mind, she had put on her costume and called her sled to her.

And that is all that is really needed to say. It is obvious that she had failed in her encounter with Dan Phantom. A lot of blood had been shed that day and when it had all finally calmed down, Valerie had declared him her mortal enemy and he in turn did the same. Because who else was brave enough to stand against the might of Dan Phantom?

With one last look at her surroundings, Valerie exited Amityville and hiked up the hill overlooking the city. A decaying tree was still surprisingly rooted at the top and offered a place for one to lean against as they watched the sunset. Just as she thought she was alone, the time specter made his appearance in front of her. She reflexively went for her gun but remembering all that the ghost had done for them, she brought her hand back to rest on her lap.

"Hello Clockwork," Valerie hesitated, "…so how did everything go?"

"Everything is as it should be. Danny was able to overcome the dark version of himself and free the timeline of his evil influence. I am glad that my meddling was able to make him see what his choice could have been."

Something clicked inside of Valerie and a great anger that had been residing in her heart crept up on her. She stood up suddenly and grabbed her weapon.

"So you mean tell me you were the one responsible for this!" Valerie aimed her gun at the time specter. "Everything is all your fault! Everything! All those people..." Her eyes slid down, then flashed back up at him. "How could you just sit back and watch them die!" She fired her weapon only to have it deflected by the hand of Clockwork.

"It was necessary for Danny to see the great evil he could cause, so that he would never walk that path again." Clockwork calmly replied.

"At what cost? Everyone's dead now! And Danny isn't even here to be held responsible for his actions! _**He's **_dead **too!**" Suddenly Valerie was overcome with all the pent up rage and aggression and started firing haphazardly at the ghost, all the while shouting,

"Why? Why! WHY! Everyone in the whole world had to suffer just because of _one mistake _by a fourteen year old boy! Why is it that we all had to bear the weight of just that one mistake?" As she fired, she started to cry and finally the gun clicked and didn't fire any more.

Clockwork didn't answer her. Seeing the futility of any further aggression, Valerie lowered her weapon and sank to the ground.

"Just...leave me alone." She finally said.

Unknown to her, the landscape was changing. Everything was disappearing, fading from existence. The decaying tree that had been behind her was no longer there. Amity Park was no longer there—not that it was ever the Amity Park that she had known.

Valerie glanced down at her legs and noticed that she could see right through herself. Quickly standing, she gazed at her hand which was also slowly fading away.

"So this...this is what you had planned for us? Just...not existing?" The spark of anger flickered in her eyes as she glared at Clockwork.

"Because Dan Phantom exists outside of time now, he is no longer affected by the actions of his past self...But that doesn't mean _you _aren't." Clockwork said this gently.

"So we're gonna be...nothing." She glanced back down at herself. She could no longer feel the anger anymore. It was as if that in addition of her body disappearing, the emotions she carried were going to.

"On the contrary, m'dear."

Valerie looked up at him at this.

"Instead of fading away, this timeline will form into the new one that Danny has made for himself. So, while not the same existence, everyone will have a better life…" Clockwork said, seemingly trying to justify his actions.

_A new life…_This thought and the renewed hope was all that Valerie felt as she gazed at Clockwork with a smile on her face. When everything had finally faded away, Clockwork leaped up into the ghost portal with an equal smile on his face.

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**A/N: This Fanfic was started a long time ago but as we all know, life happens and things don't get done as they should be. I hope you enjoyed the fic and remember...**

**Read and Review ^.~  
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